Time To Keep It Simple serves as a record of my life as a traveler, writer, genealogist, photographer, target sports enthusiast, Rotarian, Mason, Jew, PR professional, and many other (mostly positive) things. In addition to this daily blog I am also the man behind the curtain (not named Oz) at gettingyourphil.blogspot.com and I previously blogged at fromgoytooleh.blogspot.com.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Our Family Was Here

Family from all over showed up for the reunion.

I
can’t say I have ever been one for big Independence Day celebrations. I have
watched the fireworks from a variety of vantage points from the comfort of the
living room on the television screen, in Philadelphia, at the New Jersey shore,
at my Aunt and Uncle’s house, and while lying on the grass in my BDUs in
central Missouri. However, while the temporary bright lights in the sky were
never something that really interested me a lot, the day has always had
tremendous meaning. While I didn’t quite understand it early in life, there was
still always something a little different about the day.

Of
course, now I have a much more complete understanding of what makes this day
such a big part of who I am. And I am not talking about the reasons that this
day is important to us all, I am talking about the connection that I have, that
my family has, to this day and what generations have done since to defend this country.
And with those thoughts fresh in my mind, it was particularly special to
celebrate this holiday with family, with the whole family, as we gathered
together this weekend in Virginia.

And
when I say the whole family I really mean it. This is a little different than
what usually comes to mind when someone mentions a family reunion. This is not
simply the immediate members that you see here and there, this particular
reunion brings together all those who can trace back their genealogy to our
original immigrant ancestor, Jacob Duffordt, who arrived at the Port of Philadelphia aboard the Hero on the 27th of October 1764. There are thousands in our tree with a small
sampling making the trip this year to the mountains of Virginia.

As
you can tell by the date, we were here before the revolution and beginning with
the simple act of Jacob Duffordt selling supplies to the Continental Army, we
have taken an active role in supporting and defending this country. From Jacob Duffordt during the Revolution, to his grandson during the War of 1812,
countless relatives during the Civil War, my grandfather and his siblings
during World War II, my father in Vietnam, and others in the family who have
served more recently. All have given of themselves to ensure that this holiday
remains as a day to be celebrated.

Celebrating
this day with family, with multiple generations, in a place near where we
originally settled is what this holiday is about for me. This was about as close
to a perfect representation of the holiday that I can recall and one that I
hope to relive many times over in the future. This is our holiday, part of our
history, and a reminder of all the generations that came before us and the ones
that still lay ahead. We have to remember our history and continue to pass on
what we have learned and the experiences we have had so that future generations
can look back on this day and experience the same connection.